Brand Frontlines

Backstory is the backbone of our brand building method. A brand is a story told in the marketplace and this is the story. A backstory validates the platform and instigates the messaging. A good backstory marries meaning and emotion and inspires the team. We share our process for creating a solid backstory.

We believe a brand is a story told in the marketplace. But when we got started, marketing and storytelling were worlds apart. Here is the tale of how we made the connections and built a methodology that now leads the industry (along with many other brilliant marketers).

Brand Themes are the strengths that drive your brand story. And they are keystones to your messaging. Nail these foundational drivers and deepen your relationship with customers, hone your communications, and get clear on your strategy.

Take the word promise at face value. When you're articulating a brand promise, it should be something that you can deliver on all the time. The promise of a brand is the most important unmet need you can deliver for your customers. We talk about what it is, how to define it, and maximize it. We also share some examples of successful and not so successful brand promises.

Brand Archetypes are a valuable tool for embodying the personality. An archetype or avatar helps to clearly etch the voice for all those that are communicating for the brand. We discuss what archetypes are, what the risks are in using them, how to present archetypes to clients, and how to narrow in on the correct one for the brand.

Brand personality is vital. It can be one of the most differentiating parts of a brand. It is the guidance for the visual identity. And it is more forward than ever in the age of social media and hypercommunication for brands. We talk about what brand personality is and how to develop it (including a starting exercise). Then we talk to Cynthia Murnane, a heavy hitter visual strategist, who has developed brands from BP and Charles Schwab to cultural institutions like the Henry Ford Museum and the Smithsonian Museum of Art.

Brand positioning is a marketing cornerstone concept. It is one of our core elements. Where does a business sit in the field of their competitors? Positioning is raw differentiation. When do you use it? When do you downshift it? How do you deliver a true, exciting, visionary positioning statement? Let's talk about it.

What are the driving forces of the your brand story? Themes, or brand drivers, are the strengths of your brand that we return to again and again to tell your unique and compelling tale in the marketplace. In this episode we talk about the brand core (sometimes called the brand essence), what brand themes (sometimes called drivers) are, and are not. Most importantly, we talk about how to create themes that power your brand.

Eric and Marissa discuss the Brand Wheel, the tool we use to engineer a great, narrative brand. Eric interview UCSD marketing professor and digital marketing consultant, Jennifer Neeley, on staying current.

While Vision and Mission statements are not technically marketing tools, we find them vital to crafting a strong identity. Hear why they are important, how to create them and how they impact your brand.

We also hear Eric's dense conversation with Josef Bastian, founder of Folktellers, about using story to create a strong internal culture.